Ethics - is the branch of philosophical study that course of action which will affect him/her’ (Gillon

investigates moral duties, values, and ideal human 1986: 113).

character.
Ethical Dilemma - defined as making a choice
Deontological - duty-focused normative approach between two or more equally undesirable
centered on rules from which all action is derived. alternatives.

Teleological - outcome focused approach that places Right - is a moral power of performing, possessing, or
emphasis on results and protects the interest of the of requiring something which is due.
majority.
Duty - is defined as a moral obligation incumbent
Utilitarianism - the criterion of the rightness or upon a person of doing or omitting (avoiding)
wrongness of an action is whether it is useful in something.
furthering this goal.
Moral Object - an action is the objective goal of the
Morals -a person's standards of behavior or beliefs action.
concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to
Intention- the reasons why you choose to act.
do.
Legitimate- a set of standards and requirements to be
Beliefs - an acceptance that a statement is true or that
acceptable.
something exists.
Scandal - Scandal is when your actions or words
Values - a person's principles or standards of
create a temptation to sin for others.
behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.
Stewardship - refers to the expression of one’s
Principles - a fundamental truth or proposition that
responsibility to take care, nurture and cultivate what
serves as the foundation for a system of belief or
has been entrusted to him.
behavior or for a chain of reasoning.
Integrity- refers to each individuals duty to “preserve
Philosophy - ‘the intense and critical examination of
a view of the whole human person in which the values
beliefs and assumptions’. (Burkhardt and Nathaniel
of the intellect, will, conscience and fraternity are pre-
(2002).
eminent”.
Virtues - ‘considered a character trait that is morally
Totality- refers to the duty to preserve intact the
valued and that stems from the motivation to do right
physical component of the integrated bodily and
or good’. (Fry and -Johnstone,2002).
spiritual nature of human life, whereby every part of
Manners - a person's outward bearing or way of the human body “exist for the sake of the whole as
behaving toward others. the imperfect for the sake of the perfect”

Conscience - Conscience seems to mean an ability to Ethical theories

feel what is right and wrong in a given situation.
1. Deontological theories
Profession - “calling requiring specialized knowledge”  Maglibog ang isa ka tao
and “a principle calling, vocation, or employment”.  Greek word = Deon = Duty
 “Looking, doing your actions that
Patient’s bill of rights - is a document that provides
sometimes there will be misconceptions
patients with information on how they can reasonably
to do this or that.”
expect to be treated during the course of their
 Relationship between duty
hospital stay.
 Ex. If she tells the truth possible mamatay
Autonomy - The term refers to every individual’s right siya. If mamakak ka to save you/benefit.
of self-determination, independence and freedom to 2. Teleological Theory:
make their own choices.  Consequentialism
considered the results of our actions and
Informed consent - ‘a voluntary, uncoerced decision,
what may occur from these
made by a sufficiently competent or autonomous
actions.
person, on the basis of adequate information and
 Utilitarianism
deliberation, to accept or reject some proposed
Benefit
 8. Right to Medical Records.
9. Right to Leave.
B. Virtue Ethics
10. Right to Refuse Participation in Medical
 is an approach that focuses on character Research.
with the assumption that a person of 11. Right to Correspondence and to Receive
good character will tend to behave in Visitors
ways that are consistent with their 12. Right to Express Grievances
character. 13. Right to be Informed of His Rights and
 look at yourself, if its still line with you as Obligations as a Patient.
a nurse.
Consent
Core Values of a Professional Nurse
-obtaining the client’s permission to do a procedure.
 Kailangan sundon 2. Confidentiality Keeping privileged
Personal values information private
3. Veracity - the obligation to tell the truth.
 are concepts and ideals that provide Meaning TRUTHFULNESS.
meaning to a person’s life. 4. Fidelity - (the obligation not to deceive
Professional values and to keep promises).
5. Justice - Seeks fairness. Treats “equals”
1. Competence equally.
 described as the integration of the Four types of Justice:
attitudes, knowledge, skills required for 1. Cumulative Justice
performance in a specific setting. refers to what is owed between
2. Compassion individuals, e.g. In conducting
 described as being conscious of the business transactions
feelings and concerns of others with the 2. Contributive Justice
desire to listen and alleviate the distress. refer to what individuals owe to
Beneficence and the willingness to carry society for the common good.
out professional responsibilities. 3. Legal Justice
refers to rights and
C. Ethical Principles
responsibilities of citizens to obey
1. AUTONOMY - Promotes self - and respect the rights of all and
determination/ freedom of choice the laws devised to protect peace
- Motivation or intention and social order.
- Understanding 4. Distributive justice
- Freedom or independence refers to what society owes to its
- Decision/making skills or critical individual members; e.g. the just
thinking allocation of resource
- Responsibility
Principle of justice refers to a moral principle by
- Self-awareness
which certain actions are determined and deemed as
- Able to communicate decisions
just or unjust, as due or undue.
PATIENT’S RIGHT
6. Beneficence (Doing Good ) “DO NO
1. Right to Appropriate Medical Care and HARM AND PRODUCE THE GOOD “ OR
Humane Treatment. “DO GOOD AND DO NO HARM”.
2. Right to Informed Consent - refers to action that benefits others
3. Right to Privacy and Confidentiality. based on the Hippocratic Oath to
4. Right to Information “apply measures that will benefit the
5. The Right Choose Health Care Provider sick”
and Facility. 7. NON- MALEFICENCE (“DO NO HARM”)
6. Right to Self-Determination. - Refers to prevention of harm and the
7. Right to Religious Belief removal of harmful conditions.

D. Other Relevant Ethical Principles
1. Principles of Double effect
 The principle applies to a situation in
which a good effect and an evil effect will
result from good cause(Pahl:51-
52;Bittle:44-50;Reyes:151-
155;Shannon1987:67).
A. The act itself must be
morally good or at least
morally indifferent.
B. The bad effect is
sometimes said to be
indirectly voluntary.
C. The good effect must
follow from the action at
least as immediately as
the bad effect.
D. The good effect must be
sufficiently desirable to
compensate for the
allowing of the bad effect.
2. Principles of legitimate cooperation
 Cooperation comes from the latin word
CUM which means “with” and OPERARI
which means “to work”.
Moral rules governing cooperation
 Cooperation- is working with another in
the performance of an action.
Varoius degrees of cooperation
 The degrees of cooperation may vary
according to the gravity or essentiality
of the shared act in the performance
of an evil action
1. Formal cooperation -consist of an
explicit intention and willingness for
the evil act. The one formally
cooperating categorically wills and
intends the evil action.
Example: a medical doctor who wills
and intends the evil act of
contraception by means of
hysterectomy at the request of an
interested party, by arranging with
the members of the operating room
team as to the operation and its
schedule.
Material Cooperation – consists of an
act other than the evil act itself but
facilitates and contributes to its
achievement. The one materially
cooperating may provide means apart
from the evil act itself which is used to
carry out the performance of an evil
act.
2. Direct and indirect – Direct
cooperation- consists of direct
participation in the performance of an
evil act. The one directly cooperating
gets involved by openly and
straightforwardly taking part in the
practice of an evil action.
Indirect Cooperation- consist of an
act that is not intimately connected
with the performance of an evil act as
in formal or direct cooperation but
whose effect may have an indirect
bearing upon it.
3. Proximate and remote Proximate
Cooperation- consists of an act that is
intimately linked with the
performance of an evil action due to
its close bearing.
Remote Cooperation- consists of an
act with a distant bearing upon or
connection with the execution of an
evil act.
 No one should formally and directly cooperate
in the performance of an evil action.
 If a reason sufficiency grave exists, material
cooperation in the performance of an evil
action may be morally excused.
 If the material cooperation is proximate a
reason sufficiently graver should exist so as to
be morally excused without which evils is
incurred.
3. Principle of Common Good and Subsidiarity
 Often considered a corollary of the
principle of the common good,
subsidiary requires those in positions
of authority to recognize that
individuals have right to participate in
decisions that directly affect them, in
accord with their dignity and with
their responsibility to the common
good.
 Decisions should be made at the most
appropriate level in a society or
organization, that is ,one should not
withdraw those decisions or choices
that rightly belong to the individuals
 or smaller groups and assign them to
a higher authority.
 The principle of subsidiarity is a kind
of sociological discipline adhered to
and advocated by the church. Its
moral implication is embedded in its
meaning. Means that what an
individual, lower or smaller group can
achieve within his/her or its capacity
should not be taken away and
transmitted to the custody and
performance of a higher or bigger
group.
Example: In an effort to control the
apparent rapid population growth in
the country, the State formulates
program on responsible parenthood
which rebounds to the enactment of a
law mandating every family to just
limit the number of its offspring only
to one or two under pain of penalty.
And so, the State through the
Department of Health conducts
contraceptive methods to ensure the
State- directed number of children
every family ought to raise.
E. Principles of Bioethics
1. Principle of Stewardship and
Roles of Nursing as Stewards
 The principle of
stewardship declares that
human life comes from
God, and no individual is
the master of his/ her
own body.
 Humans are only mere
stewards or caretaker,
with the responsibility of
protecting and cultivating
spiritual and bodily
functions. We are obliged
to take good care of
ourselves, to maintain a
sound mind and body,
and to safeguard our
dignity.
 In health care practice
Stewardship refers to the
execution of responsibility
of the health care
practitioners to look after,
provide necessary health
care services, and
promote the health and
life of those entrusted to
their care.
2. Principle of Totality and Integrity
 These principles dictates
that the well -being of the
whole person must be
taken into account in
deciding about any
therapeutic intervention
or use of technology.
 Therapeutic procedures
that are likely to cause
harm or undesirable side
effects can be justified
only by a proportionate
benefit to the patient.
The principle of totality
 The whole is greater
than any of its parts.
 Suppose a man’s foot
is gangrenous, should
he consent to an
amputation? Since
the amputation will
save the patient’s life
and he can still walk
through the aid of
crutches or artificial
limb, he can consent
to an operation.
A. Ethico-moral
responsibility of nurses in
surgery.
B. Sterilization / Mutilation
 Sterilization is
also a form of
contraception
insofar as its
 purpose is the conception of undesirable and physical or
prevention of mentally unfit offspring. This is sort of social
conception- not engineering- i.e., to design a society that is
by the positive free from individuals afflicted with social
use of artificial disease or grave, mental defects, such as
methods but by lepers, idiots, imbeciles, morons, and insane
cutting off the persons. Also included here other mentally
sexual capacity in incompetents and those with congenital,
a man or a inherited or acquired, incurable,
woman. communicable diseases, and carries of
defective genes.
Types of Sterilization, As to decision or volition (Bittle:
387-390).
3. Punitive Sterilization- is done as a
1. Voluntary sterilization- is that in which a punishment for crime or antisocial behavior,
person wills and requests that the procedure particularly rape and other sex related
be done on himself or herself. offenses. This is compulsory or involuntary
2. Involuntary/ Compulsory sterilization- is that sterilization. Catholic theologians have
which is done by order of the public authority defined punitive sterilization under the double
of state. effect principle: the sterilization is not “direct”
since the primary and intended effect is
As to purpose or ends: punishment, and the contraceptive effect
1. Therapeutic Sterilization/contraceptive – therefore is “indirect” or secondary.
means the removal of a reproductive organ or
a portion thereof in order to save one’s life or
to promote bodily integrity.

Justifications:

A. Serious illness of either husband or wife- who

may, for example, be tubercular, epileptics,
syphilitics and lepers. These are also humans
who have the right to marry and to be happy.
Due to their communicable diseases, they
have to undergo contraceptive sterilization in
order to prevent the conception of offspring
affected with the same diseases.
B. The probability of genetic abnormality. An
individual for instance, who is contemplating
marriage and who has been diagnosed to be
carrirer of defective genes may avail of
contraceptive sterilization so that the birth of
malformed or abnormal babies can be
prevented.
C. Severe financial burden. A couple, for
example, may not be financially capable to
support another child, so they resort
contraceptive sterilization.
D. When child bearing puts one’s health in
danger. This is particularly true when a wife is
sickly or physically weak, and hence unable to
bear a child without risking her life.
2. Eugenic and social sterilization – are
performed for the purpose of hindering the